KARACHI: Neglect mars work on public parks project
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Dec 11: The projects of two central recreational parks promised to the citizens of the metropolis by President Gen Pervez Musharraf, while he was campaigning for the referendum in Karachi, in April 2001, despite a lapse of over two years are yet to take off.
One of the parks is located in the heart of the city, at Old Sabzi Mandi in New Town, while the other is at the hub of old town; at the site of the Gutter Baghicha.
There is no progress visible on the two projects, aimed at providing relief to the people of the badly-planned city of highrises and concrete structures, mainly due to the ongoing litigation regarding some of its sliced plots.
The old Sabzi Mandi open area, formally handed over to the Corps-5 for developing it into a Central Park in April 2001, spreads over 18 acres. At the time of signing of the hand over to the army, it was expected to be developed with in 12 to 18 months.
This park was promised to the citizens, in early 1990’s when the new Sabzi Mandi was conceived on the Super Highway, and they were reassured by the respective successive governments from time to time.
Under the agreement signed between the Corps-5 Commander Lt Gen Tariq Waseem Ghazi and city Nazim Naimatullah Khan on April 3, 2001, the park was to be a state-of-the-art recreational facility, to be developed by the army from its own resources, as a gift for the people of the city.
Since the shifting of Sabzi Mandi in last April, the people of the city have been awaiting to see a park as promised by the successive governments.
The Gutter Baghicha, originally spreading over 1,017-acre amenity plot has now been reduced to some 480 acres, which is a manifestation of massive corruption and misuse of authority.
Despite the “park-naming” contest held by the city government in May last, no visible progress is in sight so far, as no step were being taken to save the remaining open space from being encroached, and for cancellation of the illegal allotments, to restore back the amenity plot and include it into the park.
Located near the city centre, the amenity plot, described in the documents as “The sewage farm,” has been allowed, by successive city administrations to be gradually encroached upon by Kachchi Abadis, marble workshops, industrial units, besides using the plot for dumping of all sorts of garbage and filth from different towns of the city.
Numerous government maps and documents over the past 100 years show the Baghicha as “Municipal Gardens” and the KMC budget documents of even 1993-94 show the income from the Gutter Baghicha Park and the expenditure on a picnic spot and a recreational complex.
The plots sliced from the amenity plot were allowed to be encroached and allotted for non-amenity uses, including KMC Officers Cooperative Housing Society- 200 acres, Ismailia Garden CHS - over seven acres, two other plots covering 10,788 sq yds, petrol pump, ten factories, 8.3 acres, besides cottage industry plots and illegal water hydrants.
The water, which was supplied for cultivation on plots sliced from the Bghicha, was oozing out from different factories located in the vicinity with bad odour of toxic industrial chemicals.
